First off, I would like to preface this with the fact that I was pregnant during this race, so pregnancy may have swayed my ratings. I tried to be pregnancy-unbiased, but it’s hard to when that’s how you experienced the race.

Overall, I felt this year the race was well put together. The starting experience was better than years past. I felt this year finding and starting in the appropriate corral was easier than in past years. I had zero difficulty finding access to the restroom prior to the race starting. Since everything was organized better at the starting line, I was even able to locate my friends and get some moral support before starting my race. The energy level of the starting line emcee was on fire, and I was so pumped to begin the race when it was time to go through my mental and physical running journey.

The race started, and off I went. I made friends with a girl in my corral who convinced me to run the full that I originally signed up for (I was going to drop down to the half but peer pressure.)

Throughout the course there were plenty of aid stations and restrooms. With the pregnant lady bladder and thirst, I had no difficulty staying hydrated and there were little to no lines at the port-a-potties when I needed to use the restroom. I felt the staff at the aid stations were very accommodating, friendly, and encouraging. I remember sunscreen being readily available along the full marathon course, as well, which I haven’t encountered in other races. (Not sure if that was just excessively friendly volunteers or planned by the Rock ‘n Roll organizers.)

The race itself was manageable. The course was nice, but I wish there was more cheering and music along the full marathon course. I felt the half marathon course was a better experience in that regard. The views throughout San Diego, from Mission Bay to Downtown, we’re amazing.

As I’m sure past reviews have mentioned, there is a humongous hill when you reach the end of the course. You get to climb the 163 South freeway, which is quite the hill. But, hey, not many people can say they have ran on a freeway, so in that aspect it’s cool. From a runner aspect, it’s mentally and physically challenging at that point. Most people were walking up it when I reached it. Heck, I joined them.

This year, there was some police activity downtown so it affected some runners. Thankfully, being pregnant and having to pee all the time, I was a back-of-the-pack runner and my run wasn’t affected by the activity. I appreciate how I heard the race organizers (and first responders) handled the situation and put runner safety first.

Overall, a great race, but with the lack of entertainment on the full marathon course, I think I’ll stick to the half marathon for this one.

Link to this review